Gonzo Blog

Passing the PMP ….

03.17.09 Posted in Careers etc .., PMP by A. Ghodasara

I had been thinking of giving the PMP exam (based on the 3rd edition) for quite some time now. For some reason (read excuses) I had been postponing it (read procrastination). I even started preparing for a week or so and then something lead to the other and I stopped for few weeks and started all over again. So I finally decided to give myself a 6 weeks time to give the exam. If I couldn’t do it in 6 weeks, I would consider myself not fit to certify and forget about it!

Note: It’s important that you not stop if you start. In my case, I started preparing for the PMP test with quite a lot of preconceived notion on Project Management that I had drawn from my experience managing and leading projects. I was just chaning my mind set and I stopped and then when I started after a lag I had to start all over again.

So what books do I recommend?

Some time ago a friend of mine had given me ‘PMP for Dummies’ — that yellow cover dummies book. I read it briefly and realized that there were some serious inconsistencies and other mistakes. Upon Googling I found my observation to be correct and threw the book away. Today the publishers may have updated the book with corrections in a newer version but I still don’t recommend that book since the content was too simplistic (spoon feeding).

I then went to B&N and browsed through Head First PMP (http://www.headfirstlabs.com/books/hfpmp/). I found the book unnecessarily trying very hard to make things overtly simple hence I found the book unnecessarily too long and detailed. However, I visited their forum and did find quite a lot of credible people saying they found the book helpful in them passing the exam. By the way disregard of the book you choose I strongly recommend the free exam on their site (http://headfirstlabs.com/PMP/free_exam/)

I was also recommended Rita M’s PMP Exam Prep book (http://www.amazon.com/PMP-Exam-Prep-Fifth-Passing/dp/1932735003) but I did not find the book that day in B&N. Upon research I found some people giving good reviews for the book and some people complaining that the content is somewhat difficult to comprehend and overtly opinionated.

A friend/family of mine who provides consulting and training in Project Management recommended me Andy Crowe’s – The PMP Exam: How to Pass On Your First Try (http://www.amazon.com/PMP-Exam-Prep-Fifth-Passing/dp/1932735003). I blindly took her advise and ordered the book. I must say I am pleased I made that decision. The book is a non nonsense, to the point, and simple enough to carry home the point.

Bottom Line: The suggestions I am providing above is just my personal opinion. I have spoke to various people and read reviews who find Rita M. better then all other books and others who find Head First better then all, etc …..The idea is to grab any book that you think is suitable to you and can be used as a ‘supplement’ to the PMBOK 3rd edition.

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How did I prepare?

• I read Andy Crowe’s book from start to end. At the end of every chapter I gave the 20 question quiz. In the end I gave the 200 questions exam in the end of the book and I must say I did ‘OK’.
• I then read the book from end to start (in reverse chapter order). During this time, I gave the 20 question quiz first before starting the chapter. This really made my reading more interesting. Once I read the book again, I gave the 200 questions exam in the end of the book again and I must say I did ‘Good’.
• I then bought the PMBOK from B&N and also bought the Whizlab Exam Simulator (http://www.whizlabs.com/pmp-certification.html)
• In one weekend I completed the PMBOK. I must say I found the PMBOK interesting then because I had read Andy Crowe’s book twice and was quite familiar with all the processes, nuts, and bolts.
• I then started to give the quizzes everyday using the exam simulator. I made sure I take a 20 question quiz before I leave home, take 20 question quiz during lunch break at work, and take 20 and at times 30 question quiz before dinner. This exercise helped me go back curiously and refer PMBOK and Andy Crowe’s book and clear some confusions and misperceptions I had on certain topics.
• In the weekends I would give the 200 questions exam using the simulator and also gave the exam on Head First’s site. I also gave the 200 question exam available at http://www.pmprepcast.com. I even found the quiz on http://pmp-tutorial-free-sample-questions.blogspot.com/ quite helpful. I also recommend the 200 question exam from http://pm-best.com/download.php
• By the way, when researching online on what exams to take for PMP, quite a lot of people recommended http://www.oliverlehmann.com. I even saw a note from few people saying that one needs to do reasonably good in this exam if they want to pass the PMP. I gave this exam in every beginning and I must say I did very bad. It dented my morale. I then asked few colleague and friends and they had the same morale buster experience but they all passed and did very well in the exam. So it’s really not required to give Oliver’s exam if you are not comfortable with it. However, I must say it’s a good exercise if you are up to it.
• It’s important that you memorize the 44 processes and be able to draw/write the 9 Knowledge Areas, 5 Process Groups, and 44 Processes matrix and what’s even more important is that you understand them and know “why they are where they are?” and “what they do and how are they different from others?”. For example I would draw the matrix and randomly pick few processes and try to explain the process briefly to my self as if I am ‘lecturing’ someone. For example, I would ask my self to ‘briefly’ differentiate between Quality Assurance and Quality Control? What’s done in Information Distribution and Manage Stakeholders? Very often I would ask the question “Why?” in reference to the process. For example why is Scope Verification in the Monitor and Control Process Group? What is the difference between Qualitative and Quantitave Risk Analysis? Etc …..I think this exercise really helped me determine what my weaknesses were and whether or not I was ready for the exam. Every time I had an issue I would go back to PMBOK and Andy Crowe’s book for clarification and correction.
• I did not memorize the Inputs, Tools/Techniques, and Outputs. I know people who have done that and it may have helped them. And I totally agree with them. But I am really not good with memorizing and I decided not to do that. However, I must say that if I had memorized the ITTO I may have got ‘few’ questions right in my practice test and probably the real PMP test. If one knows the process well, one can answer quite a few questions pertaining to ITTO so I decided to just stick to understanding the process and not worrying about memorizing the ITTO’s.
• It’s important that you memorize and more importantly understand the formulas that Andy Crowe mentions in his book. You will need to know these formula’s in the exam.
• In the last week of the exam first thing I did was go and give the 200 question exam on Andy Crowe’s book and I must say I got 88% or 89% correct answers. I had taken this exam the third time but it was after a long time. I then also gave few more exams from the simulation and the 200 question exam from pm-best.com

  Bottom Line: Read the PMBOK – it’s must. Read the supplement book, in my case it was Andy Crowe’s book. Give as may full practices tests as you can. I may have taken 4-5. Initially it was a challenge for me to sit and concentrate for 3-4 hours and give a 200 question exam. It’s been a while since I graduated from school! But latter on it was a cake walk. Except Andy Crowe, I use to get 75%-80% in my exams. Gradually I was building intuition in what answers to choose.

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  How did the exam go?

  I purposely took the exam on Friday morning instead of taking it on a Saturday or Sunday. This really helped me focus and work hard the entire week. If I had scheduled the exam on Saturday or Sunday I may have not worked hard enough and left the final preparations to the weekend starting Friday.

  I really don’t know whether to say if the exam was hard or easy or both? I think I would say ‘not hard not easy’? When going through the questions, I did not find my self out of place. I did understand what they were precisely asking and I was answering questions with confidence. I think Before the exam I thought the test would be so hard that I may have difficulty understanding the question.

  By the way the questions in the exam are no where similar to the practice exams that one gives. However it’s important to take as many practice exams you can to build intuition which will be very helpful in the exam.

  Fortunately I passed the exam but the result was lower then I expected. Relatively speaking the Monitor and Control area was my weakest point but in the test I did good on it but did below proficient in Planning and Professional Responsibility which I was really surprised to know. From the very beginning I knew planning was is the most important area for the PMP test and I use to work hard on it but I screwed up somewhere during the test in planning.

  By the way, they have stopped providing the test score and the only things they tell you is whether you are below proficient, or proficient, or moderately proficient.

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  If I had to prepare all over again what would I do differently?

  There is only one thing I would do differently and that is read the PMBOK twice or thrice instead of just once!

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  So how much time does one need to prepare for PMP?

  It really depends on one’s background. I have worked as a Project Manager / Project Lead / Business Analyst for a while now. I was introduced to the principals of Project Management in software development in school and my first boss and mentor in my first job who introduced me to Business Analysis was a professor of Software Engineering and Project Management at a reputed university in NJ and use to teach the subject in the evening. He therefore use to sprinkle PM methodologies to me every now and then. I was in my early 20’s then and was about to graduate from college.

  I am also somewhat familiar with Project Management Methodology of a leading Financial Institution and Oil & Gas Company.

  With this kind of experience it took me approximately 4 weeks of sincere studying + 2 weeks of leisure studying. I work full time (read 9-10 hour day) and I play a sport that takes away one entire day of the weekend.